Taste 4 Amari Friday 2/23, 5-7pm, complimentary tasting.

Two great tastings coming up, this Friday and next Wednesday!

Amaro: Taste four Italian amari
Friday 2/23, 5-7pm, complimentary

Amaro dell’Etna ($40.98/1L)
Amaro Varnelli “Sibilla” ($60.98/1L)
Cardamaro ($27.98/750mL)
Fernet Branca ($36.98/750mL)

See our “Field Guide to Amaro” below!

Wine Wednesday: February’s featured wines
Wednesday, 2/28 5-7pm, Complimentary

Bodega del Fin del Mundo“Postales” Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Patagonia, Argentina ($12.99)
Essay White Blend 2023, South Africa ($9.99)
Pie de Palo Malbec 2021, Mendoza, Argentina ($13.99)
Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Maipo Valley, Chile ($14.99)

A Field Guide to Amaro

Perhaps you are curious to dip your toe into after-dinner digestivos or are already a fan looking for a new favorite. We would love to help you explore this wide-ranging category.

Amari (plural for amaro) are bittersweet herbaceous liqueurs traditionally sipped neat after dinner. Amari are a cornerstone of Italian culture but are not strictly regulated and can be produced anywhere. “Amaro” translates to “Bitter” in Italian. They were first concocted by monks in the 13th century as medicinal and digestive elixirs. These herbal liqueurs are produced by infusing an alcoholic base such as wine, brandy, or neutral spirit, with botanical ingredients that include herbs, citrus peel, roots, spices, and flowers. The resulting proprietary concoctions are then sweetened for balance and aged for complexity. They are tawny or brown in color and can range from 16% to 40% alcohol by volume. Each amaro’s recipe is a closely held secret. Producers tend to use local ingredients, so you can expect amari from alpine regions to include evergreen notes while those from southern Italy will incorporate citrus peel. Every amaro is distinct in its flavor profile and they range from friendly to bracingly assertive.

Explore Boulder Wine Merchant’s diverse offering of amari on our website here.

Today amari are sipped neat at room temperature after dinner and utilized in quite a few cocktail recipes. Dilute any amaro with ice or seltzer for a refreshing spritzer. Try a Black Manhattan, which employs amaro in place of red vermouth. The Paper Plane is another modern classic.

So how are you supposed to know which one you’re going to like best? Join us this Friday to taste a few, of course!

Image by Roberto Zampino via Wikipedia Creative Commons.